Bothers me when I hear scientists describe QM as weird and maybe my agitation is just another aspect of human behaviour I should be asking about. Regardless, I think it's time to stop looking at the quantum world as if it's weird. I liked this article so let me share it with you....

What I do like about this so-called weirdness is that QM is real, not some dubious grainy photo or fanciful story of a Divine miracle. It's the nuts and bolts of reality as we know it. It's not weird at all, IMHO.

August 29th, 2018, 10:34 AM

geordief

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinjanthropos

Perhaps wrong subforum but...

Bothers me when I hear scientists describe QM as weird and maybe my agitation is just another aspect of human behaviour I should be asking about. Regardless, I think it's time to stop looking at the quantum world as if it's weird. I liked this article so let me share it with you....

What I do like about this so-called weirdness is that QM is real, not some dubious grainy photo or fanciful story of a Divine miracle. It's the nuts and bolts of reality as we know it. It's not weird at all, IMHO.

Not qualified to comment really ,but the individual is always a bit weird when looked at closely whereas crowd behaviour is always touted as "normal" Just an analogy I suppose.Statistics damn statistics (another analogy )

August 29th, 2018, 11:00 AM

PhDemon

Simple answer: it's because the behavior of quantum objects is very different from the behavior of macroscopic objects that you are used to dealing with. QM makes sense once you get rid of ideas such as "particle" and "wave" and trying to think of quantum behavior in terms of these concepts.

As a PS scientists tend to only use the "weird" description when talking to non-scientists!

August 29th, 2018, 11:05 AM

zinjanthropos

Quote:

Originally Posted by geordief

Not qualified to comment really ,but the individual is always a bit weird when looked at closely whereas crowd behaviour is always touted as "normal" Just an analogy I suppose.Statistics damn statistics (another analogy )

Do you mean weird as in going against establishment or standing out in a crowd? Idk about that, if I wear the wrong coloured jersey at the local football match then i don't think it's as weird as it is stupid:smile:. I think I see where you're going though, a crowd is composed of weirdos when taken individually, together it's the norm.

Maybe something or someone needs to be exceptionally 'weird' to sway a crowd or large number of people. Easier for a crowd to say they were sorry for having an upstart shot, thrown in jail or publicly humiliated for their stance once the truth is known.

I think I'm more concerned when natural phenomena gets the weird label attachment.

August 29th, 2018, 11:12 AM

zinjanthropos

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhDemon

As a PS scientists tend to only use the "weird" description when talking to non-scientists!

For what reason? Are they calling us laypersons stupid or just being cautious, catching a feel for what everyone thinks and not putting their own reputation on the line?

August 29th, 2018, 11:18 AM

PhDemon

It's to make it seem more "interesting" I guess... Which book are you more likely to buy, one that says a) I'm going to explain something difficult or b) Wooah Dude this stuff is weird, let me tell you about it!

August 29th, 2018, 11:28 AM

zinjanthropos

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhDemon

It's to make it seem more "interesting" I guess... Which book are you more likely to buy, one that says a) I'm going to explain something difficult or b) Wooah Dude this stuff is weird, let me tell you about it!

lol... Personally I go for (a) but would gravitate to (b) if too hard to comprehend.

Thats the the other thing. Over time I've realized that I'm starting to grasp some of this stuff. I like that feeling and it could be a reason why I now abhor the weird tag. Seems like the more one understands the subject, the less weird it gets or one finds the weirdness label totally unjustified.

August 29th, 2018, 11:34 AM

geordief

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinjanthropos

Quote:

Originally Posted by geordief

Not qualified to comment really ,but the individual is always a bit weird when looked at closely whereas crowd behaviour is always touted as "normal" Just an analogy I suppose.Statistics damn statistics (another analogy )

Do you mean weird as in going against establishment or standing out in a crowd? Idk about that, if I wear the wrong coloured jersey at the local football match then i don't think it's as weird as it is stupid:smile:. I think I see where you're going though, a crowd is composed of weirdos when taken individually, together it's the norm.

Maybe something or someone needs to be exceptionally 'weird' to sway a crowd or large number of people. Easier for a crowd to say they were sorry for having an upstart shot, thrown in jail or publicly humiliated for their stance once the truth is known.

I think I'm more concerned when natural phenomena gets the weird label attachment.

I mean that ,when you get to know a person as an individual all your expectations fail and the person displays a character that can only really be appreciated on its own terms.

Previously all individuals seems the same (or "boxable") when seen from a physical or abstract distance.

"weird" to my mind means "surprisingly,inexplicably different"

You think the crowd might select its leaders on a quirkiness scale?:)

That would be one for Gulliver's Travels ("The Kingdom of the Fey")

The bog bodies of Ireland may apparently show what happened to leaders whose reign was unsuccessful(ritual sacrifice)